Watch our commemorative video and read about HRMC’s 75th Anniversary Event.
Article contributed by Michael Dewitt of the Hampton County Guardian.
When Hampton County Hospital first opened on Nov. 1, 1950, the world was still struggling to overcome the global impact of World War II, Harry S. Truman was president, and the Korean War was underway. A loaf of bread only cost 12 cents, a gallon of milk would set you back eight dimes, and the average price for a one-story house was $7,354.
Seven and a half decades later, that medical institution, which later became Hampton General Hospital and is now known as Hampton Regional Medical Center, is an award-winning example of rural healthcare excellence celebrating 75 years of service to its South Carolina Lowcountry community, say those who know it best.
HRMC officials, healthcare partners, and community members celebrated that 75th Anniversary during a community event last Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Stanley Arts Center and Palmetto Theater in downtown Hampton.
During a welcome reception before dozens of invited guests, including members of the Hampton County Chamber of Commerce, HRMC Director of Marketing Michelle Strickland captured the enthusiasm in the room.
"Here's to 75 years," exclaimed Strickland. "Whoo-Hoo! We have put together a really nice nod to the past for you."
Strickland and her team had been working diligently for months in preperation for this anniversary celebration, and it was evident in the themed decor, the Southern cuisine by Simply Southern Catering, and an entertaining, heart-warming video presentation.
But her enthusiasm was more than just part of her job: like many in attendance, from doctors, nurses, staff and board members, Strickland has a deep personal connection with this medical facility. Her grandmother, Mary Lou Hazel, had spent much of her nursing career walking the halls of Hampton's hospital.
"This hospital really has touched every part of this community," said Strickland.
Matt Severence, Chief Affiliations Officer with Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Health, which is affiliated with HRMC and its subsidiary, Coastal Plains Physician Offices, congratulated HRMC CEO/President Dave Hamill and his staff for celebrating this 75-year milestone, as well as the hospital's recent progress.
"You would be hard pressed to find anyone who is more committed to this mission than Dave and his team," said Severance. "We are excited to be a part of the Hampton Regional Medical Center story, and it's not the typical rural hospital story. Rural hospitals are closing all over, and Hampton Regional is bucking the trend."
Severence pointed out that MUSC is 201 years old and added that the hospital is "very selective" about their brand and who it affiliates with.
"We believe Hampton Regional is a high-quality institution," said Severence. "We also believe the best care is local care. That's where your support system is, that's where you feel comfortable, that's where you want to be."
The MUSC Health official shared the many new special healthcare services that HRMC now offers, from "world-class stroke care" and telehealth to intensive care, infectious disease care, and a wide variety of specialties.
Capping off the welcome reception at the Stanley Center, attendees were treated to a special "feature film." Strickland and her staff had worked for months, gathering photos from the community, and partnering with filmmaking students at the Hampton Friends of the Arts, to create a 30-minute historical film, "Rooted in History, Committed to Today, Innovating for Tomorrow."
The film features testimonies from and interviews with former and current HRMC board members, longtime physicians like Dr. Neal Shealy, Dr. Glenn Welcker, Harold "Buck" Harvey, PA-C, longtime former staffers like Marie Benton and Gwen Smith, community members such as Faye Gooding, and Buddy Bullard, a son of the hospital's first administrator, Claude Bullard.
Stories and memories shared ranged from how great the cafeteria food had become to the camaraderie of the staff. Buck Harvey recalled pranks the nurses used to play on him. Dr. Shealy flashed back to his early years of working with rural medicine pioneer Dr. Harrison Peeples. Shealy shared a story of a farmer who got his arm caught in a corn auger, but Dr. Peeples responded to the emergency scene at the farm and performed an amputation, saving the patient's life.
"It doesn't get more rural medicine than that," added Dr. Shealy.
Overall, the film highlighted how rural medicine in Hampton County has evolved from caring doctors making house calls to modern physicians demonstrating the same level of care in an award-winning, modern facility that has become one of the most positive community institutions in our corner of the S.C. Lowcountry.
"Hampton Regional is more than a hospital," the film's narrator states. "It is a corner stone of the community."
Recognized and present during the celebration were H.C. Chamber of Commerce Board Members, HRMC Board of Directors, and officials with MUSC-Health, the S.C. Hospital Association, Palmetto Care Connections, and Beaufort-Jasper-Hampton Comprehensive Healthcare.
Read elsewhere in our print and online editions this week and next week for historical features and more on HRMC's 75th Anniversary.
